The present invention relates to reservoirs for accumulating coins supplied by a slot machine, and more particularly to a coin reservoir that is removably mounted within a secured enclosure below a slot machine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The conventional way of accumulating coins collected in a slot machine is to use a free, bucket-like container within a cabinet-like enclosure that has a lockable door through which the bucket may be inserted and removed from the enclosure. A slot machine is secured to the top of the cabinet-like enclosure, and will have a coin-discharge chute which feeds coins downwardly through an opening in the top wall of the enclosure. At regular prescribed intervals in a typical casino setting the coins accumulated by slot machines must be collected and removed for an accounting. In this typical conventional arrangement the slot machine attendant must unlock and open the cabinet door.
The attendant will often reach into the cabinet and grasp position it so as to observe whether there has been a sufficient accumulation to warrant removal of coins. If the bucket is substantially full, it is removed and taken away for an accounting of its contents and a second, empty bucket will be positioned in the cabinet to replace the one removed. A drawback with this type of structure is that it is cumbersome for the attendant to reach into the cabinet and maneuver a full bucket of coins out of the cabinet door. A full bucket of coins can be quite heavy which contributes to the difficulty in maneuvering the coin bucket and presents a potential safety hazard to the attendant. In addition it is noted that as a consequence of this problem the size of the collection bucket is deliberately limited to as to limit the amount of weight that must be handled. It is also noted that using such a conventional set up can lead to inadvertent damage to the cabinet whenever a heavy bucket is accidentally banged against it.